Illinois Teaching Jobs Saved by Stimulus

Posted on May 18, 2009

Federal stimulus money is helping to maintain and create Illinois teaching jobs.

School districts will receive stimulus money in three waves. The first two are aimed at giving districts more money for special education and Title I, a program for low-income students. The four Illinois Quad-City districts will receive $4.6 million and $2.6 million in special education and Title I money. The last chunk of money will come in the form of state fiscal stabilization funds, which Illinois will use to maintain state funding levels for districts during this school year and next school year.

According to an article by the Quad-City Times, some potential plans for the stimulus money include:

In the Rock Island-Milan School District, students struggling with reading will receive more instruction from better-trained teachers on phonics and phonemic awareness.

In the Moline-Coal Valley School District, special education students will have access to a Compass, a computer program that gives instruction based on ability and increases in difficulty as students master the material. Teachers will have improved ways to assess students’ strengths and weaknesses.

United Township High School and East Moline School districts have yet to make final decisions on where to spend their stimulus funds for special education and low-income students. However, leaders say plans will most likely include improving classroom technology and increasing teacher training.

Districts say the funds have helped them avoid making staff and program cuts this year. The Illinois State Board of Education has said the funds help free money so the state can catch up on other payments to districts for services like special education, free and reduced-price breakfast and lunch programs and transportation.

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Illinois Teaching Jobs Saved by Stimulus